what a day. it's pouring. it's gray. it's cloudy. fall has hit us full on. and I'm getting used to putting on jeans and real shoes instead of being barefoot and in shorts all day. maybe i won't get so many things stuck in my feet now that I have to wear regular shoes! :)

My countdown on my new homemade chalkboard has Paige and Matthew here in 48 days. I'm a little excited...

As for life... well, haha... it's still full as ever. But, in the midst of all the stuff of life, sometimes it feels like I can't catch a minute to really, fully breathe. You know that feeling right? Your baby is up at 5 AM or the alarm clock never seems to give you an extra minute of sleep or the kitten is crying in the middle of the night and the Diet Coke is gone out of the fridge and the endless hours of driving and traffic jams just never seems to let up.... and then you fall down the back deck stairs. Well, that's been the week I've had... minus the baby part. I've painted and arranged and fixed and moved things and decorated and cleaned and made dinner and cleaned and made the bed 7 times and cleaned and painted and sanded and cleaned again.... then I fell down the stairs.

it is at the bottom of the stairs that you realize that:

 1. you're alive.
 2. you're not broken into tiny little pieces even though it feels like it.
 3. you're glad you didn't land on your face.
 4. you must get up and keep on with life.

Isn't that just like life? We fall down the stairs of life, and stay there for a little bit taking it all in... but in order to survive... we must get up and walk. We have to find the courage to stand, to resume life, to live. But, when we're at the bottom of those stairs of life.... I think we get shocked and don't know what to do about it. We're struck down.... but never destroyed (because of sweet Jesus). Yet, it takes us a little bit sometimes to realize that we are still living. That God is still there... that He holds us together.

So, today, if you're dealing with an 8 month old screaming baby girl... or you're dealing with the consequences of your sin... or you're dealing with loss or dashed hopes or unfulfilled wishes, the bottom seems a little hopeless. Have courage! Take heart! The Lord and Savior of our souls is holding us together. You'll have bruises. You might feel like moving isn't optional. But, HE is your strength. He is your rock. He is your salvation.

He is all that we will ever need. He is all that satisfies.

At the bottom of the stairs, amidst the bruises and pain, there is hope. There is Jesus.